The Best Breakfast Sandwich in Miami

To most Americans, the best breakfast sandwich has always been McDonald's Egg McMuffin. Ever since Ronald began hawking them in 1971, they've made up 19 percent of fast food breakfast sales. But for a city like Miami, that spends most of its time in as little clothing as possible (hello, humidity), Mickey D’s is usually the last option. Especially when you’ve got pan con croquetas, croqueta preparadas, and Cuban sandwiches on every corner; guava and cheese doughnuts delivered to your door; and a glorified and localized version of the Egg McMuffin at All Day in the 305.

The sage sausage English muffin, or what I like to call All Day’s “McMuffin 2.0”, is dubbed the “One-Handed,” but this baby is worthy of being coddled with both paws. The English muffin is baked in-house and makes me feel like I'm biting into a cloud—which is exactly what I look for in a good breakfast sandwich. The patty is made of Florida pork that’s ground on premises and dusted with enough sage to balance the pungent and gooey double-cream Brie. As if that weren't enough, a composed, marbled egg with the yolk still intact and oozing ever so slightly is added on top and a zesty scallion herb mayo leaves a lingering, curious taste on the tongue. WTF is THAT? More, please!

Growing up Spaniard and being raised by wolves who ate one leg of Ibérico ham a day, I learned to skip breakfast altogether and save myself for lunch. High school in Miami meant having to choose between Krispy Kreme, cachitos (think Venezuelan ham croissants), and croquetas for the first and most important meal of the day. I typically had all three. In college, after a long night out, breakfast doubled as a fourth meal with a stop at the Golden Arches drive-through. But now I'm an "adult" and can't (or more like shouldn't) eat, or want, McDonald's daily. So, I turn to All Day for my daily breakfast sandwich needs, which nowadays, I prefer in the daylight hours with a shot of cold brew that drinks like a cocktail.

All Day’s "???"—a rotating special that's often comprised of cold brew and rosemary limeade—is herbaceous, acidic, and revitalizing at once. It’s everything you need to combat four hours of sleep, and it’s the perfect foil for the One-Handed, my go-to sandwich.

Before All Day opened its doors just a mere six months ago, it could be said that Miami lacked a proper breakfast joint for coffee and eggs, and maybe even a proper all-American breakfast sandwich. If you’re familiar with Panther Coffee, that's exactly what makes All Day most interesting. The founder of the cafe Camila Ramos is a Panther Coffee alum, and one could even argue, the specialty roaster's unsung hero. A 2014 Eater Young Guns nomination and a United States Barista Championship appearance gave her the push she needed to go solo and open All Day.

It took Ramos over a year to get her highly-anticipated coffee and eggs exactly where she wanted them. At the time, she was expecting a child with life and business partner Chris MacLeod who owns The Corner—arguably Miami's most nondescript watering hole—just next door. It’s a place stragglers visit at 4 a.m. for a nightcap and a Crazy Madame with bacon and onions. That’s no surprise since it’s conveniently situated across the street from a 24/7 "showclub" where clothing is contingent on the time of the day.

For a period of time (we'll call it my "party phase"), The Corner's Crazy Madame was my go-to "breakfast" sandwich when I’d make it home just before sunrise and wake up after lunch. Now, I like to end my nights with a mojito at a reasonable hour and wake up to All Day’s Egg McMuffin 2.0, aka the best breakfast sandwich in Miami. And on a rare occasion, I might just have both, because one is never enough.